Jao The Ultimate Beginners Mead Recipe

[kjparker]

Bottled my mead on Saturday, took it over to a mates place. It was a real hit!

I'll be making a bigger batch of this one!

 

[ShredMaster]

Wow.

Today I actually read almost all of the current 29 pages of this (slow day at work, meh). As mind-numbing as it sounds, I came home and found myself at the end of a lengthy explanation to the Mrs about how I somehow managed to come home from work (on a motorbike) with a couple of kilos of honey and a bunch of fruit and spices with this wicked look in my eye... :super:

Sanitised what was required, chopped what needed to be and stuffed it all into a couple of different bottles on hand: 2 x 1.5L glass jars and 1 x 2L plastic bottle. Whacked the yeast in and am currently scouting locations to leave these suckers for a few months without being juggled around and trying to keep them somewhere near a decent temp.

I'm sure it will work well, probably a bit "hot" on the alcohol side due to temps but it will still make a nice nightcap drop for Xmas time I reckon.

Thanx BP for starting the thread which ended up enticing me to explore this avenue!! Now I'm actually reading up on meads and learning even MORE about how fermentation works.


Cheers!!
Shred.

 

[KudaPucat]

Ah, yes - 15 bucks each but free delivery anywhere if total order is $100. Works out quite neatly for us far northerners usually, 5Lt demis go for 12.50-15 + swing cap @ brewshops. I.e. If any of them around here can bother opening for longer on even 1 day a week.

Re carbonating, yeah I was asking in general. I was getting nervous with all the talk of 'I shook it and it dropped another x points'. I've asked someone who knows someone who has hives if I can get some honey off him when he next raids them. Just preparing in general.

Shaking during ferment will have it drop further.
Shakingafter clear MAY start the yeast up again.
Racking or bottling can start the yeast up, but as your leaving 99.9999% of the colony behind, it's unlikely.
If you observe sanitisation procedures and the yeast is past it's tolerance it won't start up again. None of mine have.
If you let in another yeast, it could spell trouble.
But all in all, if a JAO has cleared, she's ready to bottle. I've never had one restart, but I have heard of it happening.
Don't worry, just brew... Mead is much more forgiving than beer.

On another note... How are you planning on airlocking those jars?

 

[pk.sax]

Clingwrap + rubber band and let the jar lid down on the cling wrap without latching it close. Get rid of clingwrap and latch close to age in bulk, siphon with sterilized silicone aquarium line. I suppose I should siphon and rack to a new jar to age....

 

[blakie21]

Just another success post haha. Put this together 2 months ago, after killing myself watching it clear but nothing drop I crash chilled (had seem some raisins rising and falling )

Everything fell out and I bottled today, had a sneaky morning sample and holy crap. This is the best mead I have ever tasted (doesn't mean much since store bought stuff sucked).

I urge everyone new to brewing in any form to try this! The only hard part is leaving it alone for 2 months

 

[Margrethe]

My brews been clear for a few weeks, but was really...carbonated and tasted like bad white wine.

No fruit had dropped on tasting, but now the fruit is dropping slowly- had a cinnamon drop first, now an orange quarter.

Its been down now for 8 weeks all up.

Should I be doing anything I'm not currently?

 

[pk.sax]

I found 20-25C on the first page and didn't look past page1.

I have it all ready to give this a go now Only thing I'm really concerned about is the temperatures.

My temperatures here are more like 30-35C all the time. I can manage to keep it cool for a whole week by putting the demi in an esky and a few packs of ice gel or something, but cannot do that as a long term thing.

Also, waiting for it to finish past the initial it in the demi - is it OK to bung it in the keg fridge @ 4-5C or am I better off keeping it in a warm dark cupboard?

I got plenty of some really nice tasting honey off a beekeeper here, dunno what variety but it tastes great!

 

[Ravvin]

Hi all, first post here.
I read through all the posts in this thread and decided to give mead a try. Since I only have 30L fermenters, I made up my brew using the scaled up recipe listed here, but I left an orange and a half out as the ones I got seemed to have a strong bitter pith, and I really prefer the sweeter drinks.
I couldn't find Fleishmann's Bread Yeast down here and had to use Lowans Bread Yeast. Possibly, this is where the problem lies.
I used local Clover honey, which I was told was mostly from Clover, but also anything else flowering that the bees found. I tasted it and it's the same clover taste I have been slathering on my toast for years, so its all good.
I started the batch on 13 October and the SG after 2hrs of settling down was 1.130.
It happily bubbled away for the next 3 weeks or so at about 30 to 40 bpm. (Bloops per Minute, technical term).
After this it slowed down and for the last 2 weeks it seems to have stopped or dropped to around 1 bpm.
The SG has been steady on 1.024 since 21 November, but the fruit and spices haven't dropped. I havent actually seem it bubble lately, but after taking the samples to check SG I have noticed that it repressurises the airlock after about 15mins.
There is a thick layer of silt in the bottom of the fermenter but I can take samples through the tap to check SG if I discard the first squirt that comes through. I tasted this the second time I checked the SQ and almost hurled. Makes you wonder how anything that tastes so disgusting can make good tasting bread. Anyway, once I realised I had to ditch the first yeast-filled squirt, it was actually not bad tasting.
Keeping the temperature down in the fermenter isn't a problem down here. We have just started getting those heatwave days of 21C here and the fermenter lives in an old fridge in the back room that never gets sun. I have an aquarium heater in the fermenter, set to 19 and from tests I have found that it seems to hold at about 20 to 22.
Just to list:
13/10/11 SG 1.130
6/11/11 SG 1.030
21/11/11 SG 1.024
7/12/11 SG 1.024
19/12/11 SG 1.024

I have no idea how to work out the alcohol content but I can tell you it leaves a warm burn in your throat after drinking the SG sample.
It worries me that nothing seems to be happening yet the fruit hasn't dropped. The fermenter is opaque plastic so I can't see how clear it is.
I'm tempted to run it through a very fine filter to remove any yeast stuff when I bottle it as it really tastes foul if you don't get it all out when you take the sample.
Should I be worried or do anything, or just leave it and hope it's all good in there?

 

[kaspa07]

Ravvin,

Im no expert only have one mead to my name so far, but I would rack it into another fermenter and let it settle for a few weeks, this will get rid of most od the crap on the bottom. I ended doing that twice before I bottled.

 

[nuggetron]

hey
ive read the first 5 pages of this forum, awesome read
pretty sure im gunna have a stab at it
firstly i have no demijohn, only the brewing barrel from the coopers kit
if i was to go into the homebrew shop what would be the list of things to buy to ferment bottle and enjoy mead?
looking for a 5l demijohn and all the equipment, how much would it rack up to?
also possibly a noob question
when fermenting rapidly for the first few days is it left open ie no lid or air lock?

cant wait to put it down and wait around 2 or so months for it

 

[thebeemann]

Hi have just put my first 1 of these down , has been brewing realy well for 4 days , is it normal for it too smell like bannanas ? the whole room smells like freshh cooked bannanna bread , the only thing i did different to the recipe is added a teaspoon of ginger powder as most of the meads i make have this added , i think honey and ginger works well together , the temp for the brew has been around 23c cheers and happy new year. :icon_chickcheers:

 

[rageyes]

B P I posted this before but apparently in the wrong place. I have followed your instructions to the letter but after 20 hours there is very little reaction by the yeast, very slight head. The only yeast I could source was Tandaco Dry Yeast and I used i teaspoon full. Have I hit the panic button too soon or have I used the wrong yeast. Cheers

 

[fcmcg]

B P I posted this before but apparently in the wrong place. I have followed your instructions to the letter but after 20 hours there is very little reaction by the yeast, very slight head. The only yeast I could source was Tandaco Dry Yeast and I used i teaspoon full. Have I hit the panic button too soon or have I used the wrong yeast. Cheers

I used Tandaco too...no problems there...
Another thing to remember , is your airlock is no indicator of fermentation....and 20 hours you say ? Meh..don't worry bloke...it'll be fine...put it in the cupboard and forget about it...in 3 months have another look at it...
RELAX ! Hide the panic button !
Ferg

 

[fcmcg]

hey
ive read the first 5 pages of this forum, awesome read
pretty sure im gunna have a stab at it
firstly i have no demijohn, only the brewing barrel from the coopers kit
if i was to go into the homebrew shop what would be the list of things to buy to ferment bottle and enjoy mead?
looking for a 5l demijohn and all the equipment, how much would it rack up to?
also possibly a noob question
when fermenting rapidly for the first few days is it left open ie no lid or air lock?

cant wait to put it down and wait around 2 or so months for it

ALWAYS use a lid or airlock...or glad wrap and an elastic band....or loose tin foil but never open
My 5 litre demijohn was $12 plus a rubber grommet cork thing with a hole for the airlock...
F

 

[rageyes]

Thanks for your fast reply, I am used to brewing spirits and when I add the yeast I stand back and watch it really perform. Thanks for easing my mind on the yeast, Cheers.

 

[nuggetron]

i put mine down on boxing day that day the glad wrap and rubber band had fully swollen up from the CO2, i undid the rubber band a lil i had it looped 3 times and went to only 2 cuz i though the glad wrap would snap and then let it spoil, now nothing has happened, im assuming that its because its a slow fermenting thing how long do we let it go before taking actions?

 

[rageyes]

(After major foaming stops in a few days add some water and then keep your hands off of it. (Don't shake it! Don't mess with them yeastees! Leave them alone except its okay to open your cabinet to inhale deeply the smell every once in a while.)

Mine has been down now for 4 days. How much water do I ad as per Brewer Petes quote above

 

[nuggetron]

(After major foaming stops in a few days add some water and then keep your hands off of it. (Don't shake it! Don't mess with them yeastees! Leave them alone except its okay to open your cabinet to inhale deeply the smell every once in a while.)

Mine has been down now for 4 days. How much water do I ad as per Brewer Petes quote above

i didnt add water, i think its if it drops down below the mark 3.8 L per 5L container
mine fell a tad but negligible amount i think

 

[keezawitch]

View attachment 26996
JAO Twins, 1 Clove and 2 Clove, a few days after pitching yeast.



This recipe is designed for beginners. Everyone else with an opinion can just buggar off!

For a 5 litre demijohn
-------------------------------

1.6kg honey (never boiled or lose the taste and aromas) (if I meant 1.5kg I would have written it)
1 large orange (at most cut into eight pieces -- rind and all)
1 small handful of raisins (25 if you can count)
1 stick of cinnamon (its brown, its wood, its good)
1 whole clove (or 2 if you like high potency)
optional (a pinch of nutmeg and allspice )( very small mind you )
1 tsp of bread yeast (now don't get holy on me about bread yeast -- after all this recipe is DESIGNED for it)
Balance water to bring batch out to 3.8 litres (did you know, there are 3.785411 litres per US gallon)


Process:

Use a clean 5 litre demijohn.

Dissolve honey in some warm water and put in demijohn

Wash orange well to remove any pesticides and slice into eights (may wish to zest slightly, just shove em through the demijohn's hole)

Put in raisins, clove, cinnamon stick, any optional ingredients and fill demijohn with water to about 3.8 litres with cold water (need some room for some foam -- you can top off with more water after the first few days foaming frenzy). (You did remember to pour in a measured 3.8 litres and mark off the level on the outside of the glass demijohn before hand right?)

Shake the hell out of the demijohn with the top on or bung in (of course). This is your sophisticated oxygenation process.

When liquid is at room temperature, put in 1 tsp of bread yeast (no you don't have to rehydrate it first -- the ancients did not even have that word in their vocabulary -- just put it in and give it a gentle swirl or not)(The yeast can fight for their own territory)

Install water airlock. Put in dark place. It will start working immediately or in an hour. (Don't use grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away in the 90's -- use the fresh stuff) (Wait 3 hours before you panic or call me) After major foaming stops in a few days add some water and then keep your hands off of it. (Don't shake it! Don't mess with them yeastees! Leave them alone except its okay to open your cabinet to inhale deeply the smell every once in a while.)


Racking -- Don't you dare!
Additional feeding -- No! NO!
More stirring or shaking -- You are not listening, do not touch!


After 2 months and maybe a few days it will slow down to a stop and clear all by itself. (How about that) (You are not so important after all) Then you can put a hose in with a small cloth filter on the end into the clear part and siphon off the golden nectar. If you wait long enough even the oranges will sink to the bottom but I never waited that long. If it is clear it is ready. You don't need a cold basement. It does better in a kitchen in the dark. (Like in a cabinet) likes a little heat (20C-25C). If it didn't work out... you screwed up and didn't read my instructions (or used grandma's bread yeast she bought years before she passed away) . If it didn't work out then take up another hobby. Mead is not for you. It is too complicated.

If you were successful, which I am 99% certain you will be, then enjoy your mead. When you get ready to make different types of mead you will probably have to unlearn some of these practices I have taught you, but hey -- This recipe and procedure works with these ingredients so don't knock it. It was your first mead. It was my tenth. Sometimes, even the experts can forget all they know and make good ancient mead.

This mead should finish quite sweet, if it finished dry, most likely your bread yeast has higher alcohol tolerance than Fleishmann's Bread Yeast (original recipe USA brand of dry yeast -- 12% alc tol. and high flocculation). In Australia for the past few years all the dry yeast sold is imported from China. So add more honey in the next batch and so on until it finishes sweet instead of dry or switch brands (but then again all the Australian brands today are probably from the same barrel of imported China dry yeast). Don't like it sweet? Add less honey next time.

Keep in mind, that will completely void the "warranty" of Ancient Orange recipe if you randomly use a different yeast. Different yeasts have different alcohol tolerance, and it just so happens that the Fleishman's active dry bread yeast is perfect for this recipe in regards to alcohol tolerance. Using another yeast would probably give better results *IF* the honey was re-balanced to suit the yeast. Again, this recipe is all about *BALANCE*. The bitterness from the orange and the sweetness of the honey balance perfectly with the alcohol level. I don't know if I just don't have a well enough educated palate or what, but I can't discern any yeast flavour in my Ancient Orange. It is young even by this recipe's standard; the batch cleared at about 4 weeks and is currently in bottles. Even at such an extremely young age, it turned out incredibly smooth with a wonderful flavour of the varietal honey that I used. The spices are "just right" and everything comes together perfectly. If it is not clear, just wait longer as one day it will magically turn from cloudy to clear and the fruit will drop meaning its time to bottle. Like any mead if you leave this one to age (although only need 6 months) then it just keeps tasting better. Foaming and clearing times are dependent upon yeast and temperature conditions.


Cheers,
Brewer Pete

View attachment 26997
JAO Twins today, note the honey is much lighter in colour now.

loved your instructions, as soon as i get my hands on some demijohns i am going to try this :icon_cheers: :icon_cheers:

 

[nuggetron]

loved your instructions, as soon as i get my hands on some demijohns i am going to try this :icon_cheers: :icon_cheers:

no need for demijohns man, just buy a 15L tub of water comes with a pouring device and water
food safe plastic
all good